Venezuelan authorities have been tasked to find and arrest anyone involved in supporting the military operation that led to the arrest of Nicolás Maduro.
A state of emergency decree issued on Saturday but published on Monday orders police to “immediately begin the national search and arrest of anyone involved in the promotion or support of the armed attack by the United States,” according to the text of the decree, according to Reuters.
It was not clear what charges could be levied against those arrested.
Maduro made his first court appearance in New York on Monday, days after he and his wife were arrested by US forces over the weekend.
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Government supporters hold puppets from the TV show Super Bigote, based on President Nicolás Maduro and first lady Cilia Flores, during a protest demanding their release from US custody in Caracas, Venezuela, on Sunday. The government has ordered police to search for and arrest anyone involved in supporting the US military operation that took place over the weekend. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)
Both have been charged by the Justice Department with narcoterrorism and other crimes.
“I am innocent. I am not guilty of what is written here,” Maduro said in court as the charges against him were read out.
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A side-by-side photo of President Donald Trump and Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez. (Joe Raedle/Kirill Kudryavtsev/AFP/Getty Images)
In Maduro’s absence, Delcy Rodríguez, his former number two, has been sworn in as interim president of Venezuela. Rodriguez, 56, has long been a confidante and supporter of Maduro.
She served as the country’s vice president from 2018 until Sunday.
Despite denouncing the US military operation, Rodriguez said in a social media post on Sunday that the country is committed to balanced and respectful international relations between Caracas and Washington.
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“We invite the U.S. government to work with us on a cooperative agenda focused on shared development within the framework of international law to strengthen the sustainable coexistence of communities,” she wrote.
